Awakening
by Sapphire Eye
Summary: Bulma, a lowly servant, runs away after being abused cruelly. When she is almost caught, she is found by a strange man, who takes her in. Will she find a true home here? AU - B/V *Ch. 14 up*
1. The Run Away

**Disclaimer – I do not own DBZ, neither do you, so read this fic, or I will kill you!**

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**A/N – This is my first AU fic, so if it sucks, the next ones will be better. This takes place on a separate planet called Farad, and has no connection to Earth, Vegeta-sei, or anything like that.  Yes, this is a B/V fic. Not lemony, but close. Unlike my other big fic, The Key, this one shall be updated a lot and kept more up-to-date. Please R & R!!!! **

The planet of Farad was a land like out of fairy tales; the planet was just like the Middle Ages or the Dark Ages of Europe. There were 4 continents, or realms, which the people called them, - Duran, Laret, Mithil, and Tandoc. Jateal was a kingdom in Duran, on the outskirts of the Great Forest; the peasants lived in the beginning of the dreaded forest, while the higher class lived in the fertile hills right behind it. The kingdom was ruled by the mighty lord, Kinas. Many people traveled far and wide to come to Jateal, for it was a holy place, where the Prophets used to say peace would come, and unite the 4 realms. They also kept the maidens in that kingdom. They were the fairest in the entire world, and lived in there own sanctuary. Fathers and Mothers brought their daughters from all over the world to try and make them maidens, but few succeeded, and were turned down by the Prophets. The race of maidens, or 'angels', as the common people called them, continued on. Each had their own servant girl, who waited on them day and night. These girls were often maiden applicants who had been turned down and agreed to go into this bondage to one day earn maidenship, called 'Valur' or 'second maiden', or girls who were sold into slavery by their parents, and not once any of those girls become a maiden. They were called 'Kimul' or 'filthy girl'.

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A maiden, Chichi, came down to river to wash. She had an escort on horses, while her servant, Bulma, walked at her side.  She went around the bend of the stream, as to wash in privacy. The men could see her form through the bushes, and all looked with adoration. She had the brains and strength of any young knight, and was as beautiful. She was one of the fairest of all the maidens. 

Bulma went farther down the stream and looked at the water. She was a Kimul, and she lived up to her title. She was soft spoken and dirty, but brave. She was also beautiful, with her aqua hair, although often pulled up into an unfashionable ponytail, when let down was gorgeous. Her blue eyes were like sapphire pools and her body was perfectly formed, except that with the rags she was forced to wear, no one could tell. So, the only time you could tell she was actually pretty was when she was in the forest, where she let down her hair and bathed unclothed in the pools, but no one saw her there, for she always seeked privacy. She resented being a Kimul, and although most girls tried to take some pride in their dishonoring job, she had given up. She looked at her reflection and sighed heavily. She wished there was some night in shining armor to take her away. She had tried to get away many times, but she was always caught and brought back, then beaten. She winced as she pulled off her shirt and looked at the result of her last escape. She had bruises all along her back and legs. She slowly eased into the river and relaxed as soon as she felt the cool water flow over her body.

She also had one secret that she never told anyone. 

One time after she ran away, she had been called to be punished, but when she walked in she found that it was none other than Lord Kinas. He had called her to his chamber, and beat her severely, and after she was to weak to resist, had taken her to bed with him, and with all her will she tried to fight, but all she could do was stop him from kissing her. Still he was able to rape her and practically kill her, both physically and mentally. She awoke to find him sleeping next to him. She had passed out as soon as he began, but he raped her numerous times afterwards. Many times now he had called her to him, and she back fought always, and although very few times did she escape, he often woke up with large bruises. She on the other hand, had many more from her running away, and day-by-day she grew weaker and weaker. 

 She had never told anyone this secret, but everyone knew that she was undergoing this pain. Although they pitied her, the maidens did not care, and neither did most of the Valur. But a few Valur and an all the Kimul helped her, by hiding her on the nights when she was called upon. But still…

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She sat on the bank of the river and closed her eyes. She didn't realize it, but she slowly lost consciousness and slipped into a dream.

She awoke with a start. It was sunset, and as she quickly got dressed, she realized her party had left her, by accident. But she saw this was her chance. She quickly started to run into the forest, for although there were many rumors of evil things in the forest, she did not believe them, and the lord's men would not dare to go into the forest at night. 

She had been running for hours, it was already past dark, and as she ran, she thought about her dream. She looked back – no one was following her. She decided to rest for now. So she found a good spot, covered herself with brush, and quickly went into a deep sleep.

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Once again Bulma woke up with a shock. She didn't move until the memories of the previous day returned.  She slowly stood up, then went walking towards the center of the forest. It was a summer day, and while little light penetrated the think foliage, the light that did shone on beautiful flowers, and green bushes and exotic plants and trees. So Bulma walked on with confidence into this jungle of the extreme. It was not the place that the old women of the village described, of fear and evil. It was a place of peace and quiet. 

Brightly colored birds hummed beautiful tunes, while vines hung from every place on the trees that could be imagined, sprouting beautiful bright colors. All the animals seemed at peace and in harmony with each other. Suddenly, though, with one step she walked into the world that the aging women described. She wanted to go back to the world she just left, for she had definitely stepped into another. But even as she turned around, the dark world closed around her and pulled her into darkness, until she was consumed by it.

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Bulma awoke to find herself in the nice clearing again, but she felt as if she were being watched, and if at any moment she made a mistake, she would be thrown into darkness again. But she convinced herself that she dozed off, and tried not to think about it. Just then, she heard the thunder of hooves. She realized her that they were probably searching for her and when she focused on her dilemma, she thought of only one thing, so she ran. As she did the world around became an area in between the nice clearing and the dark world. It was thick and darker, and harder to run in, but she knew it would be even harder for horses. Still, she heard them gaining and plummeted farther into the depths of the woodland. 

She passed into a short clearing, and darted into a bush right outside of it before they could see her. As they passed into the clearing she saw that her fears had been confirmed. Over 20 men had been on her tail, and among them was Yamcha. He had been her friend, but when she ran away, he was the one who always tracked her down. He was the king's tracker – he helped him hunt game, and caught thieves and runaways. She ended their friendship quickly by fighting him the next day. He still had a scar on his arm from where she nicked him.

They were debating which way they were going to go when Yamcha stopped them. She held her breath, hoping he wouldn't discover her. But just as he walked towards her, two hands grabbed her gruffly from behind and carried her away as swift as any horse. She wanted to scream, but she had a feeling that whoever had her was going to help, so she didn't complain. When her head stopped spinning from the sudden attack, she looked up to see her so-called 'rescuer.' He was clothed in plain clothes, but wore a hood so that she could not see his face. When they finally stopped, he set her gently down and then sat down himself, for he seemed very tired. 

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Goku. And just to answer further questions, I have been watching you since you entered the forest. No one enters the forest without us knowing. When you stumbled in to the Black Marsh, I was the one who got you out." He answered, with a flat and non-plussed voice.

"I still have questions though." She said inquisitively.

"All will be answered in due time." 

Bulma realized she wouldn't get anything out of this guy, for now. She sighed and relaxed. Goku could take care of himself, and her too.  She looked back up to him, and with a panic, saw that he wasn't there. She stayed as still as possible until he came back, which was probably only an hour, but it seemed like days.

"Sorry, but I had to go do some business."

"Well thanks for cluing me in." Bulma snorted – he had scared her to hell, and now that he was back, he just plain pissed her off. "What was this business you had to attend to?"

"I had to see if I could take you back to the Lair."

"The Lair?"

"Yes, that is where my people live – another question answered – in an area that we simply call the Lair?"

"What a… homely name!" she said it trying to be nice, but was still miffed, so ended her statement dripping with sarcasm. 

"Thanks. Anyway, I think you might be happy with this. I was talking to the chief and he said that it was fine with him if you came. So, I will be taking you there, and not leaving you in the wilderness, happy?"

Bulma tried to look like she was just going because, but couldn't help being excited. "Well, its probably better than home, and I can never go back now…"

So, she, with her silent companion, walked for a complete day, until they reached a clearing. Goku hesitated hear, not knowing what to say. She was looking around, while he seemingly was scooping out the area. Before she knew anything, he sneaked up behind her, gave her a sharp rap on the neck, and collapsed into his arms.

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Bulma awoke to find herself in a dark tunnel, dug out of the earth centuries ago. The ground was paved with smooth stone, and had many doors branching to and fro. She sat up, and instantly saw Goku, who was sitting in front of her.     

" 'Bout time you woke up. Come, your almost at the end of your 'trip'."

So she stood up and followed him. Although the tunnel was dark and almost depressing, she felt like she was at home, for some odd reason. As she walked she saw people just like Goku, walking back and forth. But one thing was different. They had tails. She looked at Goku, and surprisedly she saw that he had removed his cloak, and now she could see that he, too, had a tail. Then they turned a corner that seemed weirdly familiar. Shaft of light penetrated the dark hallway through what seemed to be an opening to the surface. She then remembered where she knew it from.

She had had a dream in which she came into dark halls form an entrance just like that. The dreams started when Lord Kinas had begun to 'have his way with her.' She would run, until she would fall into a black pit. She would land, and would wander until she came to a door.

Sure enough, as she ended her flashback, they came to a halt, by the dim light of a torch; she could see the faint outline of a door. That could mean only one thing. She was about to meet someone that had helped her going for a long time. He had talked to her, been kind with her, gentle, and had listened to her every word. She had thought this was only her subconscious, telling her to run away, find a new place that accepted her and loved her for who she was.

But know she knew the truth. Goku knocked on the door, which was answered by a gruff voice, gentle, but gruff. Goku opened the door, showed her in, and quickly departed, closing the door behind him. Bulma looked into the gloomy room, but could only see shadows. But she still could sense something, out in the shadow, and decided to act upon it. So, Bulma thought, one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready…here it goes!

"Hello, Vegeta."

**~Fin~**

**A/N  - Cliffhanger!!! Yeah. The next chapter is very cute and has got a twist. I hope you liked, please review!**


	2. Caught, or just Found?

**Disclaimer  - "  "  (I don't own it!)**

A/N – so here is the answer to the cliffhanger. I don't know exactly how it shall go, so if it doesn't turn out exactly as planned – just don't get your hopes up for anything grand. This was good, too. I updated soon! I'm getting better. (FYI – I didn't update my first story for like, a week!) Please R & R!!!

Bulma closed her eyes and hoped that she didn't just do a very embarrassing thing. But luckily, the voice that she had heard spoke up, seeming rather startled

"What, who's there?"

Bulma was shocked. This was the guy that she had hoped and dreamed for so long that was real. Finally her dream was coming true, but she couldn't say anything. She was living her life's dream, but she couldn't form any words to express her joy. Finally she opened her mouth and said anything, not just something, anything.

"It's m-me."

"Who's me?"

He stepped into the light. Bulma gasped silently. He was a stout man, of a seemingly slight build, with big, spiky black hair, but he was gorgeous. And again, for a few minutes, she was robbed of the ability of speech.

"I-It's Bulma."

"Are you the one Kakorot brought in?"

"He called himself Goku."

"That's only what he calls himself, a nickname, might you say. He's rightful name id Kakorot."

"O." Bulma squeezed out the last short acknowledgement with what little breath she had.

"Well, Woman, what do you want?"

Bulma's immediate reaction to the fact he called her 'Woman' was rather reflex than wrath.

"Don't EVER call me WOMAN!!!!"

He backed off quickly. With what few words they had spoken, he liked this woman already. He chuckled to himself.

"Fine, Woman." He said (she became very flustered at this, but calmed down instantly) "How did you know my name?"  

"Don't you know me?"

"NO." He said flatly, in his famous 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone of voice.

"O. Well, I've… I mean…Umm…"  she looked down, as if ashamed, "I have had this dream that I was in a dark tunnel, with this guy. This tunnel resembles it, and I thought maybe you…"

"That's enough."

"O. Umm..."

He chuckled again, only out loud this time. Did she do something wrong? She hoped not; she couldn't bear anything else.

"Well, I am Vegeta, leader of these people." As he said she noticed a slight movement, and looked down to see a tail curled around his waist. He noticed, and laughed louder. "Yes, we have tails, of what race are we, it's forgotten. Even the eldest of my people do not remember where we came from, all that history is lost. But as for your dreams, I can help you."

This was what she was waiting for.

"I sent them out to a girl that I saw." He moved closer to her, so she could almost feel his breath. "I saw her bathing in the pool, and I heard her cries for help. I couldn't help but notice. I've asked talked to her, been kind and patient. I listened to her. She seemed weak, frail, and pitiful, but always beautiful and brave. Are you that girl?" He knew very well she was. He had watched her and dreamed with her for long now. He had considered her a friend, more than a friend. A 'friend' he would like to have down here in the Lair, while he continued with his…that was enough. He knew what she was, and he wanted her. He would simply win her, for she was perfect, perfect enough for Vegeta, prince and chief of these people.

"I-I…"

"Is that a yes?" She gave a quick nod, and he smiled to himself. This was going well, he thought, he would have to remember this, for future reference.

"Yes."  With a sigh, she sank to the floor, and bawled. Not the loud, baby bawl. It was a sob straight form the heart, which began with a sniff and small, silent tears running down the face. Then, she opened her mouth to say something, stop her from embarrassing herself, but she could not. All she heard from herself was a choking sound, the sound of someone who has been hurt finally come to the end of the dark cell, someone who has found the light at the end of the tunnel, and in Bulma's case, that's just what happened. She felt so, empty, but she knew this emptiness was not the alone feeling she had felt before. It was of a slate wiped clean, ready to start anew. And these were the reasons she cried. 

Vegeta backed away, not sure what had just happened. (A/N, men will never understand women!) Did he do something wrong? But her face softened, and she looked up at him with those puppy-dog eyes, filled to the brim with new, unfallen tears. He saw that she was just hurt, and went to her side, picking her up and setting her in a chair of to the side of his room. There she sat, looking at him with wide eyes, while he continued with his leadership-like duties, until she fell into a peaceful, dream filled sleep.

**A/N – So, the plot is revealed!  How will Bulma adapt? How will Vegeta 'win' her? All these questions answered in the next chapter. O, and I'm sorry, there was no twist like is said, but it was more cute, and sweet. Please review!**


	3. One bed, a tail, and one stubborn woman

**A/N – I am sooo sorry this took so long to post, but I forgot all about my trip. I went to Catalina Island for a school trip. I left at 5:45 on Friday morning (so early!) and didn't get back until recently. I had so much fun; I wish I was there now, but with a computer so I could write! O well, on with the story! R & R!!!**

She opened her eyes slowly, cautiously.  When she looked around, she only saw the blackness of the room she had entered hours ago – Vegeta's room. She looked up. She could see what looked like a skylight, looking at what would be ground level. The pale moonlight shine down on a single spot, but proved as a light for all, for it cast everything into shadow, visible, but in a shadow. 

Bulma relaxed her head into the pillow (she's laying down on a bed). Hearing a noise, Bulma rolled her head over to see the other side of the bed, and in it was Vegeta. She blushed, but realized he was asleep. Snoring lightly, he looked happy, and lay motionless as the night went on.  She just sat staring at him, happy with her success of, well, just plain happy. She sighed deeply, but did not cry this time. She sank back, almost trying to sink into herself, comforted by the silence and the vision of someone who could help her lying next to her, and out of the whole, away from _him_, Lord Kinas. Bulma submerged into the bed as far as she could, until she realized something was there.

And that something was moving.

She sprang up immediately, knocking over many things in the process. She also woke up the sleeping chief, who snapped out of it rather quickly, and grumbled, in ill humor, something about stupid bakas. Still, he sprang up, and then grumbled with what disturbed her. 

She looked back at the bed. She didn't see anything, though. She wanted to slap herself in her stupidity. She hadn't sat on anything, really, but she knew it was there, somewhere.

Vegeta growled audibly, making sure she heard him. She whipped around, afraid that she had done something worse than just knock something over. He was the chief, maybe he wasn't to be disturbed, maybe… Hell! How would she know!?! They had tails for Gods sakes! Then it came to her.

"Vegeta, does your tail move on it's own?"  But he only growled again, and looked like he wanted to punch something. But he backed off, grumbling.

"Well, its kind of possessive…"

"Great, thanks for telling me." He stepped closer to her, as if trying to tell her something, but before he reached her, his tail reached first. It unraveled itself from around his waist and stroked her leg, while a purring noise cam form Vegeta. Bulma grimaced as the furred limb rubbed her leg, but giggled as she heard the noise.

"Could you stop it… Are you purring Vegeta?" Vegeta stopped and reached down, grabbing his tail and wrenching it from Bulma's quadriceps. Then he tried to seem like it never happened, walking about as if busy, only taking time to mutter under his breath,

"Stupid Onna. Waking me up. Stupid weak Faradian bakas." 

"WHAT did you call me!?!" she yelled as loud as she could, trying to annoy him, but instead just woke up everyone in the 'Lair' and blew her morning breath in his face – he was unfazed. Bulma stared at him, for his blankness had shocked her. NO ONE had withstood her scream. He did, and that just pissed her off. A lot. She growled in return, and immediately walked over to the door, opened, and slammed it as loud as she possibly could. 

Vegeta smirked, knowing what was coming. He was right.

In an instant the door reopened, and in a very huffed voice, Bulma stated, "I don't have anywhere to go." And with that, dropped onto a chair. She was embarrassed. Very embarrassed. She took a deep breath as she looked at Vegeta, and she was replied by seeing a strange light in his eyes. 

He liked this woman, no doubt, but she was plain annoying. He wouldn't admit it, ever. But he liked to see her mad – she looked cute. Then she did something he would have never expected.  

"Vegeta, I have nothing to do, nothing to offer you. I wish to repay you for saving me yesterday, or at least, what I think was yesterday. I would like to see Goku, and thank him to, and then I would like to help you, I am at your service."

His jaw dropped like a stone. He hadn't expected this; as long as he had been 'talking' to her, she seemed homely and modest, but perfect for a ruler or queen. She had been forced into hard work, service for all her life, and she is, - rescued, safe – and she wants to work hard again, maybe even harder, for he was a supreme ruler, his mind told him, and no baka could withstand his leadership. He wanted to scream at her. But all he could manage was a cough and then a simple statement.

"Eh hem. I have rescued you from a life of slavery, Woman, but you want to go into my service? I don't…I'm not…-"

"-Are you going to answer me or not? Yes or No, and I want an answer right now." 

'Uh…"

"Well?!? Yes, right?!?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Yes? Thank you 'Geta!" Then she gave him the biggest bear hug she could manage. "Fine, I'll go find Goku, and he'll help me. Talk to ya later!"

And with that, she was out the door.

A/N – I know this was a short chapter, but interesting wasn't it? Well, Bulma is off to help Vegeta and his people. What will happen, and yes I know it is a cliffhanger, but they do seem the most appropriate ending, so… please Review! 


	4. Just Found

A/N – I didn't really like how last chapter ended at all, so I'm trying to make up for it in this chapter. Also, I wanted to add a little twist into it, so be expecting something big, or small, but very enticing, but what it is, I can't say, cause I haven't written it! Well, here it is, and, by the way, if you do read this, may I ask you to review, because I need feedback, and I thank all of you who have reviewed already. As for you who said that I wanted to kill all you readers, I have to say that I can't kill you just yet, because the fic is not over, once it is though, I promise not to keep you waiting (j/k ^.^), but I will try and post sooner – I just don't have a second phone line so I don't get to get on very much. Please Review! 

She walked down the halls of the underground hideout. Bulma wondered why they did stay underneath the surface, where they hiding, if they were, from what? She continued walking for several minutes, watching and thinking about all the people that lived here – she saw men and women buzzing in and out of the hallways like bees. All looked like a one-man army, and all had tails. Not many children were to be seen, but she figured that they were in another part, seeing as she was just in the main hallway, or so she thought.

Finally, her thoughts rested on Vegeta.

"I am so evil…hehehe. I wonder what he is thinking right now…"

_Meanwhile…_

Vegeta crossed himself again. _Why_ didn't he say no… who knows what Goku will teach her! He is my best fighter and a fighting expert too, but he is a little air-headed, for sure. Why, stupid, why? Even if she can manage the training, she won't… I don't know. This is hopeless.

He growled at himself, and then continued with his work, all the while thinking about his mistake and cursing himself for it.

~*~*~*~*~

After asking around, Bulma located where Goku was – in a seemingly dorm-like place. So this is where these people live, she thought, considering the room around her. Goku stood up, trying to be polite, and then gave her a famous Son grin. Bulma noticed that he wasn't as grim as before, not at all the Goku she had met before. She was seated and then faced the still grinning Goku. 

"I want to talk to you about some things, I means, like Vegeta…why you live underground… why you have tails…?" She said innocently, not trying to offend him if she said anything wrong. When his smile discontinued and was replaced with a solemn frown, she feared she had. But, he comforted her by beginning with his speech that he was asked to make.

"My people are called the Saiya-jins. We call ourselves Saiyains for short. Why we have tails, I have no idea, but they make us much more powerful, or so it's told… Vegeta is not the chief of our people, but actually the king. We were forced from our homelands by the wars raging on the four realms. Now, we train so that one day we can end the fighting, make peace, and thus get our homelands back. That is why we live underground, hiding and training, so no one knows we're here. Also, because we can't stand the moon. That also has to do with our tails. The only way to stay concealed and away from the moon is underground. When the Saiyains came here, they found these ancient caverns, and using all their skill, created this home for the Saiyains and the generations to come. That was around 300 years ago though, so it has only been 4 or 5 generations – we Saiyains live exceptionally long."

"We train day and night, because we want to go home, even though none of us have ever been there, and also because it was in our blood. Thousands of years ago we ruled the greatest empire ever…ruthless killers, we would kill off everything on a planet, and then sell the planet to the highest bidder. Then, a great evil monster came and destroyed our home planet. Only about 4 of our people survived. One was a prince, Vegeta, and one was a low-class fighter, sent to Earth, a planet at the time. The present day Vegeta is a descendent of him, and a beautiful woman, her name is lost to us. One day, the boy on Earth, Goku," Goku smiled as he recalled his ancestor, "my ancestor, heard of the monster, Frieza, and went to stop him. During his fight, he became a super-saiyain. That power has been lost to my people ever since those two Saiyains, their children, and then their grandchildren, died. But, he defeated, Frieza, and Vegeta returned to Earth with him, or so it is said. Vegeta became a super-saiyain, too, and like I said, so did their children, and they all became very powerful, no one ever had or has ever matched their strength. They, in all their extended lifetime, died, and all that is left of them is the blood in our veins.

"The nice thing is though, is that a couple hundred years back, about a thousand of our people were discovered living in a remote area in the universe. So, the descendants of our people intertwined and now, here we are, a pure race once again, but never happy. Me, I really want to see Earth, and meet the former Goku's family, and that side of my family. You see, half of my family, my Earth family, is still there, so is Vegeta's…"

So he continued on with the history, culture, and all the stuff about his people, and all the Bulma sat, fascinated. She never realized anyone could have this much history to say.  But finally, she got around to her point. She was going to train with him and the other Saiyains, and help Vegeta, and she was going to do it no matter what any one said. Goku saw the stubbornness inside of her, so did not say anything. He just quietly led her to where she could stay, conveniently close to his room, (**A/N – not like that, for all you pervs. out there, just so he can watch over her – a fatherly figure, kinda.**) and assigned her to his training group, where he could observe her progression.

~*~*~*~*~

Over the next few Bulma trained, stretched, and ached in places that weren't fun to ache. But every day she got up with determination and tried as hard as she could, becoming one of the most determined fighters in all the ranks, even though she wasn't the strongest, by far. Most of the fighters trained by punching, kicking, and shooting ki blasts. She learned what that was, and even saw some of the fighters fly, but only the most elite fighters, like Vegeta and Goku, knew that skill - aka, it was beyond her level. 

But, she, not a Saiyain, often could not keep up with their physical training, so she, with all her concealed genius, invented something for herself. A long piece of bent wood, connected by the tips with a horsehair string, she created, calling it a bow. All the Saiyains were surprised at what this contraption could do, but then she pulled out another item. Long reeds, with feathers at one end and a metal tip on the other, an arrow, she called this one. It was placed in a crook on the 'bow' and propelled forward when she pulled in the string. Strange it was to the fighters, but an effective weapon, no doubt. She also made other weapons – a knife, spear, etc. – that were all known to the outside world, but not to the martial artist Saiya-jins. She trained with these weapons, adopting the grim mask of the people and a conscious-free attack-mode, in which she could kill without remorse, same as the warriors of the old. She became accepted as one of them, almost like she had a big family of her own, and she soon became known as the deadly outsider, yet now an insider all the same. 

She also saw Vegeta, when she was not training, and for this her reputation grew too. She became one of his closest advisors, alongside with Goku, while they, Bulma with her brilliance and Goku and Vegeta with their fighting experience, devised and plotted. But she spent other time with Vegeta, also. Personal time, where they talked, and even though Vegeta was always distant, and mocked her a lot, she began to relate to him as more than a friend, as did Vegeta feel about her.

And so, when Bulma was leaving to go training after one of these 'personal chats' they said goodbye. But as Bulma turned to leave, she felt Vegeta's hand on her shoulder, and she spun around, being intercepted by a passionate kiss from Vegeta, one that she had dreamed about all her lifetime, and she quickly melted into him, as she stepped back inside his room, and he shut the door behind him.

A/N – It gets interesting, what are they doing in there? Who knows…I do though! I am so evil. I promise the next chapter will be longer… yada yada yada. Well, the twist was that Vegeta was actually DBZ's Vegeta's descendent, and same thing with Goku! Kewl ~*~ Also, this is where I wanted it to be, so I'm happy 4 now. Please Review!         


	5. Definite Lust, but Love...?

**A/N – I loved the way last chapter turned out, and thank you for all you reviewers out there! Now, this chapter is going to have another twist (I like twists, twists and cliffhangers.) But, this one is, trust me, going to be a depressing chapter, I have already written it up in my mind…Anyways, it does get better, so don't think this is like the last chapter, because it might seem that way. Well, here it is, Please R & R!!! **

Bulma gasped, gripping hard onto Vegeta's shoulders for support, but she soon relaxed when he did, and rolled over so that he was lying next to her. His bronze and muscular skin was shining with sweat, and she looked into his eyes. Those dark eyes seemed to have no end as she gazed into them. He returned her stare, looking into, what he thought, her seemingly never-ending blue ones, while twirling with her hair. 

What is it with Saiyains and hair? she thought. He saw a saiyain couple not long ago, and the guy seemed to be fixated with the girl's hair, combing it with his hands and smelling it in, like he would never let go. She thought about all Goku had told her about how Saiyains had extra-sensitive senses. He also told her that they had a thing with 'smelling' females or something like that, maybe it was a good sign. She sighed, realizing the time.

" 'Geta…"

He didn't say anything, but continued to stare, as if he were competing in a contest. Vegeta has always been really competitive anyway, so he's just doing this unconsciously, she deliberated. She wanted to giggle at the thought, but controlled herself. Instead, she thought what just took place. She felt so warm inside when he touched her, she had wanted to cry. Lord Kinas - she shivered when she thought of him – was so horrible, she felt so empty when he… but with Vegeta, it was just the opposite. She felt wanted, loved. She wanted to hold him and never let go, but all things had to come to pass, so she continued with her statement.

"…I have to go."

He grunted with understanding, but not with approval. He knew her commitment as well as she did. She had promised him, Goku, and more importantly herself, that she wouldn't give in. He rolled over again, this time getting out of bed in the process. But what happened next, he also didn't expect.

He felt a hand on his arm; same as when he had pulled her into his kiss minutes (**A/N  - not minutes, minutes, but more like half and hour to 45 _minutes_.**)ago. She whirled him around, and surprised both of them with the force in which she whirled, but she didn't let it hesitate her. She intercepted _his _turn with a kiss, hard and fiery, so that _he_ didn't want to break it. But they did, and she quickly stood up, and without another word, got dressed, and walked out.

~*~*~*~*~

She arrived at her training session over an hour late, and was shunned for her lateness. When asked where she was, she stuttered and mumbled incoherently, so they gave up on finding out where she had been.  She began training with renewed strength that surprised all her peers and superiors. She ignored them, though, and continued with her new-and-improved vigor. 

She had started training around noon, and was only ready to stop around dusk, when all the Saiyains went inside to hide form the omniscient-moon. But, she decided to stay out, for she had nothing against the 'big ball of cheese' in the sky. She trained all the way until midnight, alone in a clearing, with excitement of knowing that finally she was happy – maybe that was what kept her going for so long. She was about to end when she heard a sound by one of the entrances to the 'Lair.' She noticed it was like a signal, telling someone to come inside, and immediately recognized his hoarse, barking voice. She walked to the access to see him peeking out of a concealed shadow, as not to be exposed to the moonlight. She rushed inside and jumped into his arms, realizing how tired she really was. 

"Hmph," he said as her weight plopped into his arms, "Nice way to greet someone, almost knocking them over, ugly Woman." 

She wanted to scream at him, but felt to tired, so managed a little 'Shut Up…" then snuggled into him, and fell into a peaceful sleep. Instead of taking her to her room, where he usually took her, he bypassed it, heading for his. There, he laid her on the bed, where she spent her first night there, and settled onto his own side of the bed, also falling into a dream-filled sleep; for he had been training almost all day, too.

~*~*~*~*~

Goku walked the halls, trying to find Bulma, for he had seen that she was not in her room, and he had looked from the concealed shadow that Vegeta had, and saw that she was not out training. He had been looking everywhere for her, and could not find her. In a last search, he went to Vegeta's room, hoping he would find her there. He opened the door carefully, as not to wake the sleeping Saiyain king, if he did he would usually get very cranky and want to blow something up, as the way it was with Saiya-jins. He looked inside enough to see a sleeping Bulma curled up by Vegeta's side, while Vegeta had his head resting on hers. 

Goku sighed, not just because finding Bulma was a relief, but what was going on. He knew immediately, for he was not just Vegeta's best advisor, and best friend for nothing. He knew Vegeta liked her, and well…

He sighed again. The mighty Saiyain was very content with his life and all, but he sometimes felt alone. As he looked upon the two sleeping, he felt this more and more. He looked sadly, and turning, closed the door, and slowly made his way back to his own room.

~*~*~*~*~

Bulma woke up beside the sleeping king. She nodded her head in a sleepy way, almost as if she as drunk, but soon snapped out of it. Her arms, legs, chest – everything – ached. She felt sick, really sick. She had never trained or done anything that drastic in her life, and the hangover was preeetty bad. She tried to stand, but fell back onto the bed after proving that her feet and knees were too wobbly to stand on. She heard a chuckle behind her, and turned around in a bad to mood to the chuckler. Of course it was Vegeta.

"So, Woman, having a tough time?" She stuck out her tongue in reply. "Well, from the moment you left, I went to my training chamber, and was there all the way until I came to get _you_."

"So, you feel the same as me?" She hoped so, because this was the perfect chance for him to embarrass her, and he wouldn't miss the chance. Her hope was in vain.

"Not exactly." He chuckled again, and then to prove his point, stood up, threw some punches in invisible enemies, and did all sorts of stretches Bulma couldn't do when she was rested and at her prime. She whimpered helplessly, looking into his eyes for some kind of pity that would make him stop humiliating her.

Vegeta looked into her eyes and saw something in her eyes he hadn't expected, he did that to her often, come to think of it. But what he saw wasn't the pity that she was trying to give him, but it was more defeat. His eyes gazed into hers, where he saw that look of a father punishing a child, where the child felt no matter what he did, they would never live up to his expectations. He felt really bad at that moment, unlike any feeling he had ever experienced in his life. 

So he stopped and sat down on the bed. He sighed and lay down, while she followed his lead. She cuddled into him, and in return he wrapped his arms around her neck and waist, and once again they drifted into a peaceful sleep.

~*~*~*~*~

Over the next few days, Bulma and Vegeta met frequently, whether one purpose or not. They still had those 'personal chats' but lets just say they became a little more…personal. The whole community quickly learned of these interventions, and nobody cared. Bulma adapted quickly to the society of the Saiyains, becoming more and more like one every day; she was accepted among their race as one of their own. They even encouraged the relationship, and were often the cause of those unplanned rendezvous. But a select few did not. One of those, Nappa, was an important captain in Vegeta's ranks. A great fighter, he lacked a lot in the brains department, he wasn't subtle either. Thus, he confronted Vegeta.

~*~*~*~*~

"I don't like the fact that you are with an outsider, sir, she does not know of us, sir."

"And who made you my father, Nappa? I'm a grown boy, _father_, I can do what ever I want." Vegeta mocked his fighter, getting very pissed at the thought of him talking about Bulma in that way.

"I'm just saying, _son,_ that I don't agree with you. I am not one for a man who falls for weaklings either, _son._" He retorted with just as much sarcasm as Vegeta, and that made Vegeta very, very mad, but little did he know that Bulma, who had come to see him, was now listening at the door.       

"Are you challenging me?"

"That depends on if you believe in her, the outsider, the weakling." Bulma sneered when she heard this, but it comforted her when Vegeta growled. But what came in the next few statements did not.

"Are you threatening to desert? If you are-"

"-If you believe in that feeble woman, yes I am."

"I don't want to loose one of my best fighters."

"I don't want to loose my chief." Then there was silence. Bulma knew that this was a real sensitive subject for Vegeta, and if…she didn't know.

"I…I do not… give in to weaklings…"his voice was shaking with rage and uncertainty. Bulma sighed, knowing already that she was not going to like what she heard next, but it came as a big surprise what he did say. "I don't…she isn't an outsider, but nothing lasts forever…it's not like I'm in lo…"

Bulma gasped, not trying to conceal it. She had always thought he did, he had told her that he had liked her when he dreamt with her and he had told her just the day before that he was taking it to the next level, she thought he meant love. She wanted to cry, and when she felt warm tears slid down her face she didn't wipe them away. She stood up from her crouched position, so that the two men noticed. Vegeta ran to the door, hearing muffled sobs, and when he opened the door, all he saw was the her hair flowing behind her as she ran down the hall, stumbling as she went, sobbing all the while. He began to chase after her, but was stopped by Nappa. Vegeta growled at him to move, but all he did was say,

"This is the part where you prove that you don't give in to weaklings." Vegeta was so enraged; he just had enough time to snarl out his next statement.

"She been through more than you have, she is stronger than you in many ways. You have been replaced, you are not deserting, I am kicking you out, e because I love her."

And with that he took off down the hall, not even thinking anything except to find her and tell her he was sorry, and he didn't even realize what he just said, let alone know that he really meant it, too.

~*~*~*~*~

Bulma stumbled out into the forest clearing where she trained, but did not stop there. She ran on and on. This is it, I am through with it all, I am through with everything. I will never be loved, and I am everything everyone hates. So, I'll just end every one of their hates, of my ugly self that plagues the world. As she finished with her thoughts, she came to another clearing – a clearing in which the other end was not a forest, but a cliff, a long steep one that at the bottom was waiting sharp stones that reached out from the sea, waiting for anyone unlucky enough to fall upon them. She looked at these rocks, then at the horizon. The sun was just disappearing, leaving a vibrant sunset of pink, yellow, orange and red. 

But the scary thing was that when all these colors were reflected on the water, they all seemed red – blood red. Bulma drew in a haggard breath. The perfect color on a day to die, she thought, and then prepared herself to jump, and fly down to the bottom, to be smashed on the rocks, and fade from this world unloved, unwanted, and all together, alone.


	6. Back to the Beginning

**A/N – Sorry I have taken such a long time to post, but I have had like 6 projects due in the past week, and what can I say? When it comes to schoolwork, I am the procrastination queen. But here it is, so don't complain, and just read! I also promise this will be a long one, too. R & R!**

She closed her eyes, envisioning herself jump – flying through the air, landing gracefully among the rocks, having the waves dash upon her broken body. Her life, and all the misery that went along with it, draining into the oncoming darkness. Stepping up to the edge of the overhang, she spread her arms wide; to feel the wind beneath her new found wings. Then, opening her wings, she jumped, letting the wind carry her, and only to find that these fragile wings could not support her, and neither could the wind. So she didn't fly, and began plummeting towards the rocks and sea below her. She fell, looking up as she did so, and saw that all this had happened in a matter of microseconds, and she just passed the edge of the face. But what happened next she could have never thought would happen. A hand caught her wrist, and a stern voice called to her.

"Don't let go."

She realized her predicament easily, with her quick-mind. She was hanging over the cliff, holding onto a hand for dear life, a life that she still wanted – she didn't want to die. She didn't panic, knowing in all her genius that wasn't a very smart thing to do. Instead she grasped on harder, while the person above tugged at her to try and pull her up. She cried when she realized what she had tried to do, she hadn't been thinking, but she was thinking straight now… and she didn't want to die. She didn't want to die. Tears streamed down her face as she was slowly pulled upward. Though her arm was being ripped out of its socket in the process.

Finally, she managed to climb over the brink, in tome to see her rescuer. He had a slight build, enough to save her, that's for sure. But what he was wearing scared her. 

A uniform – a Jateal hunting uniform. 

This was a hunting party, _his_ hunting party. She gasped for breath just as she heard a parting in the crowd behind her and her rescuer. And sure enough, there he was, laughing at his discovery.

"I thought we had lost you… I guess I was wrong." Then he gave her the most wicked smile she had ever seen. She wanted to scream out for someone, anyone… she wanted to scream out for Vegeta.  But she knew, in all her pride, she would never do that. So she watched as he came up to her, and pulled up her cheek in his hands so that he was starring at her. Before she could do what was on her mind - which was to either turn away or spit on him, the latter being her favored choice – he had hit her on the back of the neck, knocking her out cold.

~*~*~*~*~

He searched everywhere for her, before he found her trail. The redness of the setting sun had died, and now it was becoming darker by the moment. He knew what would happen if he stayed out much longer – he gave himself half an hour at most.

He followed her trail, noting her footprints; barely visible in the soft soil, and he knew how light her footfalls where, almost undetectable…as if she was walking on air. He muttered a string of heated words to himself and anything that happened to come by him in his present state. He already missed her. Why was he such a fool to begin that statement, he was angry, and he didn't even mean it. Because he did love her. He thought about what he had said to Nappa as he had run after her. He walked on, barely aware of his surroundings and what he himself was doing. 

He came to the opening where she made her 'would be' jump. He immediately snapped his attention to her foot impressions in the ground, and followed them, eyeing them o so carefully until they came to the edge, and there his face fell.

She jumped, and he knew it.

So wrapped up in his own thoughts, he failed to notice the multiple sets of footprints that were her captors, and if he was paying attention, he would have noticed the impressions in the sandy overhang of her struggle, but he did not, and was too late to see her captors haul off her unconscious body.  He wanted to cry, not something he had even considered since his early childhood. His shoulders heaved up, trying to stand tall and proud. But he couldn't, because the weight that now rested on them was to great. And so, he walked, shoulders slumped, as slow as possible (so he would make it back by nightfall) back to his underground hideaway.

~*~*~*~*~

Bulma opened her eyes only to find more darkness. She was sitting, backed against a wall, in a dark, cell-like structure. She tried to move away from the repulsive wall, for even through her clothes she could feel the slime and moss rub against her, and it protruded with a foul odor that made her want to puke. But when she did move, she felt a restraint, and then heard the clacking of shackles around her ankles and wrists. She was trapped, pressed – practically hugging – the grotesque wall, forced to be sprawled out, like she was a web, in which all spiders and gross things were allowed to crawl on.

She heard the creaking of a door, and grimaced and looked away as a bright light filled the room. By the time her eyes were used to the light, she noticed that 3 men had entered the room, one with a ring of keys, one with a coil of rope, and another with a sneer on his face. That was Kinas.

Kinas ordered the man with the keys out, and that left only him and the other guy. Her eyes widened as he stepped forward, and she found out what the rope was for. It wasn't a rope, it was a whip. Bulma groaned and winced already, knowing what was to come, but tenfold. She had been whipped before, and severely beaten, almost to death.  But all those times she had been gone only a few hours, maybe a half a day. She had been gone and with Vegeta for many months, the pain would unbearable, and would probably end only with her death.

Lord Kinas took the whip from the man, who Bulma now recognized as Riamer, a bodyguard she had met once, after being summoned to the Lord. Ritel gave him the flogging device, then continued to step up to Bulma, releasing her from her imprisoning chains. Bulma saw her chance – although weak from her blow to the head and her imprisonment, she was quite stronger than she would have been before. She kicked out, hitting Riamer square in the jaw, and knocking him back a few feet. Kinas stood there shock still as Bulma proceeded to stand up and approach him. But he quickly snapped into action and put his 'rope' into use.  Whipping her again and again until she was backed into a corner and saw that she was in control.

He pulled her out of her corner and dragged her to the center of the cell area. He let Raimer have his revenge on her, by letting him beat her repeatedly to the point where blood ran freely down her arms, chest, and face. Bulma screamed in agony as the whip lashed again and again, tearing through her as if she had been cut open with a chain saw, then someone dumped a bucket of salt water on it. And then, much to her pained dismay, Kinas ordered that he stopped, and let him have a turn, before she passed out, or died. He wanted to here her scream, he said, and then let a cruel smile cross his features. Bulma's eyes widened and became as black as night, filling the sorrowful eyes with fear, pain, and anguish.

Bulma had a feeling that by the ending of this, she had wished she had jumped and fallen – and died.

~*~*~*~*~

Nappa ducked into a cave just as the moon rose above the horizon. He had been kicked out, and he couldn't believe it. It had been his whole life, fighting and training with Vegeta and the Saiyains. What would he do know? He had to go back. But how, with Vegeta angry with him? He thought and thought until he heard a noise at the front of the cave. 

Vegeta was standing there, luckily safe from the dense clouds of the night.  Nappa knew instantly something was wrong, for he had lost his kingly stature, and was slumped as if he was near death. Nappa knew he hadn't found the girl, or maybe he had found worse. He stilled instantly as he heard Vegeta rambling to himself.

"How could I have lost her? I was such a fool…" and he continued to rattle of his famous string of animated words. 

Nappa knew now what he could do. Starting tomorrow, he was going to search for the girl, this Bulma, and bring her back. That would get him back into the Lair. He would bring her back if it was the last thing he did.

A/N – So, there it is! 4 full pages of twisting, turning and very sad events. Just to let you know, this fic is going to be very sad from now on, but will have a good ending – notice I didn't say happy! Well, I don't know how it will end, but just keep reading to find out! Please Review.


	7. Afterthoughts

**A/N – Okay, couple things to clear up in the chapter. First, it is just like earth, and its like medieval times, hierarchy, anyway. They still have skyscrapers and capsules. They were jeans and stuff, but most of the time they wear dress-like clothing, or at least the upper class do, peasants where mostly jeans and stuff. They don't have guns and stuff like that though.  Also, this chapter is a group of POV's – Kinas's, Bulma's, Nappa's, Vegeta's, and Goku's. So that's about it, thank ya very much.**

Bulma… You are so beautiful, strong and powerful. Still you are the most delicate little flower I have ever let in my sight. But, in all my love for you, I have beaten you nearly to death. Why do I do such things, to you, especially? I feel alone sometimes; while you were gone I wanted you more than ever. I realized my feelings then. I love you. Why did I beat you the first time, then the second? Why did I do those things to you? You probably hate me. I hate me. You mock everything I am not. Beauty, all those things. And for that I hate you more than ever…

~*~*~*~*~

Bulma groaned in agony. Kinas had stopped for a moment, she thought he was done. She had wished he was done. He had begged he was done. But now, he continued with a vigor that made her want to scream because of all torture he was administering to her.  He whipped the lash across her back again and again. Then he moved to her front, then to her to her back again. She wanted to scream louder, but her lips would not allow them to move. Already she could feel her heart slow down, and her lips gained a bluish tint form the lack of blood pumped form her heart. 

Kinas noticed this and stopped his blows and looked at her. She didn't have many wounds, but she would have countless bruises in the morning. She did not move, for she had somewhere in the process been knocked unconscious. He picked up her now-fragile body and carried to a section of the chamber, seating her and leaning her against the moss-covered wall. 

~*~*~*~*~

My precious, I am so sorry for causing the pain I just caused you now, what a fool I am sometimes. Your beauty is blotched by my evil work. Wait. I can hear you stir. Awake, beautiful Bulma. Your head wobbles as you lift your eyes to meet mine. Beautiful pools of turquoise heaven, that's what I see every time you look into my harsh brown eyes. But I soften my gaze when I see your wonderful formed, barely covered by your torn clothes, now no better than rags. You see my stare relax, and your eyes widen. Oh yes, you've seen that look before. I have felt that feeling, just like you recognize my intent – yet soft – look. How could I not love you, hana…

~*~*~*~*~

She tried to scream as she watched him reach for her shirt, but all that came out, when she managed to open her lips, was a hoarse whisper, not that even he could hear. His breathing increased as he ripped off her shirt, exposing her breasts and everything else. She could barely open her mouth, let alone fight him off, so she was forced to sit still and stiffen every time he touched her. He grabbed her by the mouth in a hard, forceful kiss, then moved to her cheeks, her neck, her chest, trailing down until he reached her exposed items. He played with them, but he got no reaction. He did not realize how badly she was injured, and thought this meant that she was okay with it – he was mistaken. He ripped off his own shirt, just trying to feel their bodies pressed together. Then, he pulled down what was left of her pants, exposing and feeling every inch of her shapely thighs. Then, as quick as possible, he had his pants in a pile beside hers. Then, opening her legs, pumped into her again and again. Still no reaction. He looked up to her face, and saw that she was out. He didn't care, and his haggard breathing exposed this. He stopped for a brief moment before beginning again, harder and harder each time. 6 timed he raped her, driven by desire and overall, horniness, but he enjoyed, whether she was 'with' him or not.  He dressed himself, then dressed her, tearing the frail clothing many times in the process. 2 hours after entering the imprisonment, he left without saying a word to anyone. 

~*~*~*~*~

Bulma woke slowly, her heavily lidded eyes opening ever so delicately. She couldn't see anything, and for a moment, she panicked, thinking she was blind. But she remembered what had happened, and burst into tears. There was no light, so she had no idea how she looked. But she felt the pain, so it hurt to breath and even think. She ached so much that she wanted – no, needed – to scream, but in all her pain, she could not. She opened her chapped and flaking lips, only to say something, to hear her own voice to comfort herself, but all she could do was whisper, scarcely audible to her own ears. But she did hear something, and what did come out of her mouth shocked her.

" 'G-Geta?"

But no answer came, and all she could do was lay on the cold ground and let the tears stream down her face.

~*~*~*~*~

Nappa stealthily crept along in the forest. Careful not to tread upon the tiniest leaf or twig, like an experienced and expert hunter, he walked on, in search of life. But he found nothing, and soon found that he was on the outskirts of the forest. It was noon, weeks after he had left the Lair, and he was still on his hunt for Bulma. He had searched the whole forest, and he had found no trace of her, which could only lead to one thing. She was outside the forest, dead or alive. In all his life he had not left but a footstep out of his beloved forest, but he had to go on, to return to the forest and home that he had cherished so dearly. So, he took a bold step out of the dense foliage into the rolling foothills, and continued on with his search.

He thought to himself about all he knew about Bulma and the outside world. He knew that she had come from a city, that she called Jateal, right outside of the Forest. He also knew of a city right on the outskirts; sometimes peasants wandered into the forest, and occasionally met a Saiyain warrior. Of course, Saiyains were only legends among the people of Farad, even though the Saiyains had been the first inhabitants of the planet. He chuckled to himself; weaklings are so dense, and, well… weak.       

He ducked as he walked over a hill, and saw the most fascinating thing he had ever seen in his entire life. Before him was the city of Jateal, and in his crouched position he took in every inch of it. It was nothing like he had ever seen before. Great, towering buildings climbed high in the sky, while below the city bustled with movement. Buildings were everywhere, covering the landscape and hill for miles. He was so amazed, he dropped his guard, and did not notice the line of people coming closer towards him form the foot of the hill below.

~*~*~*~*~

The group of college students walked, not knowing what danger was ahead of them. They were walking towards a very powerful and dangerous grown Saiyain, with quadruple the power of any of them, he could crush them with a flick of his finger. Luckily, he was in a good mood.

The group of young adults halted when they caught sight of him, and they were both curious and scared at this strange man in this unknown uniform. For all they knew he could be a spy from another realm, for at the very moment war was raging between the two groups. A particular outlandish one stepped forward, calling to the peculiar man.

Nappa snapped into attention as the boy approached him, calling out as if he were a monkey. Nappa's instinct snapped into action – no one called a Saiyain 'monkey' – the old tell the story of a beast called Frieza and how he called the great Vegeta and Goku monkeys. He died soon after. He made an ugly look, and the student backed away. Then Nappa smiled. He was going to have fun with this group.

He made a friendly gesture, and the boy smiled. Lured closer, he _did_ act as though Nappa was a monkey, some pre-Faradian ancestor – the missing link or something. Nappa tried to keep a clean face as rage took over him. He called the boy closer, so that he was in hearing range. He talked to the boy in the most civilized voice he could, but soon after turned for the worst, and shouted,

"Don't ever call me, or make me look like a monkey!!! Die Baka!" And then he hurled a medium size ki blast at the poor, unsuspecting boy. The others looked on with horror as they saw a bright light that consumed the boy, and looked afterward to see that he was gone, disintegrated. They looked at Nappa like frightened babies, and Nappa laughed. He was going to have a lot of fun.

He then fired a great energy blast at the lot, killing all but one. That one he decided would be lucky enough to be his guide through the 'city.' He barked for the girl to come over, and he did, bowing and begging for her life. Nappa snarled in disgust.

"Your going to lead me through the city. I have important business to take care of. If you can answer these questions I'll let you go now, so hope you can, or the next few days will be pure misery." The girl nodded solemnly.

"Question 1 – do you know any person named Bulma?"

"Y-Yes. She's a servant at the m-maidens palace. She escaped about a little l-less than a year a-ago. T-The rumors say that she w-was caught. She w-would be in the prisoners tower i-if she really was."

"2 – do you know where the tower is?"

"Yeah. I'll take you t-there if you let me go safe, p-please?" It was Nappa's turn to nod.

"Fine." he grunted, "Take me there, I will let you go, unharmed." So Nappa began his journey through the 'big city.' 

~*~*~*~*~

Vegeta curled into a tighter ball, thinking over and over about the events that had occurred just weeks before. He lost one of his best captains, and he lost…her…

He tried to picture her face, her beautiful her eyes, her hair. He could almost smell it right now. He loved her scent, she smelled like flowers after a light rain. All Saiyains loved hair, that was a known fact. It probably had to do with their heightened senses, but god, he loved her hair. 

He remembered the days in which he would sit and brush or stroke her hair while she slept. After their first day of officially being together, she had moved in with him. He thought about she cuddled into his side for warmth and he would wrap his arms around her in a hug. He missed her know, that her side of the bed was empty. What had he done?

He had lost her that's what. And so he buried his head farther into his hands, and tried to sleep.

Outside Goku looked worried. Vegeta hadn't come out in a week, refusing to eat, and from what Goku could hear from Vegeta's constant pacing, very little sleep. Also, Bulma hadn't been seen in weeks. Was she in there with Vegeta? No one knew. He heard silence, and realized Vegeta must have found the sought after sleep. Goku leaned against the wall and decided he would have a little nap himself, and soon was asleep against the wall.

**A/N – So, you like? It's not exactly a cliffhanger but. Also, this was long, like I promised, so… Review Please!!!**


	8. Someone To Talk To

A/N – Another long chapter. It skips a little in the time line a little, too, so I hope your not confused. This takes place after Nappa has gone through the big city. He tells you what happens, but that's not until next chapter. ^.^   Please R & R!

Bulma sighed into the seemingly black pit. She had been imprisoned for who knows how long. She had no way to tell time, no way to no anything, see anything, or even hear anything except when she talked to herself. All she knew was the twice every 'day', she was beaten in every form imaginable – whips, metal, torture, and all the nasty things in the world. She found out that no one could hear her scream in this cell – it was sound and light proof. She promised herself this – if she ever got out of this place, she would find Vegeta and come back for revenge. Revenge was the one thing she practically lived for.  She didn't care if he hated her, she would return, fight in his army, but never speak to him again. She would come back and get revenge, she promised herself that.

She was sore and confused. Why would they do this to her? She had been beaten over 70 times; she had counted that, at least. If she were gone for a week, they would usually beat her once. She had been gone for around 24 weeks, so why would they beat her even more? Also, what was up with Kinas? He…He had told her something that made her want to die. He said that would keep her here forever, his little whore. Then he… she didn't even want to think about it. He also let his other men come in and try to…again; she didn't let herself think about it.

Fortunately, long ago she learned to deal with the pain. That was one thing, she was very adaptable. Now during her abuse 'sessions' she didn't even feel the pain. Well, she felt it, but it was if her body was numb, so it didn't hurt all that bad. Afterwards it hurt a lot, but she dealt with it. She could fight of her offenders, all his little 'minions.' But she did do one thing that confused everyone. Every time someone approached her, she would recite the same line over again. 

"I am Bulma, rank number 49230, squadron 234 under the command of Goku, in army of Vegeta." Then she would proceed to fight off anyone who went near her. Normally she would succeed in knocking them out cold, only to be found locked in the chained that she once was. They would find there little buddies and drag them off, while she sat in a corner and watched.  She chuckled to herself. They were all afraid of her, but were bold still. Most of the ones he sent in or that came in were knew, and did not know of her influence. She also knew how to open those chains, so if they knocked her out and put her in them, she could easily get out when she woke up. If she were conscious, well, most of them wouldn't go near her. 

Her smile faded. The only one she couldn't resist was… him. Hana, (**A/N – hana is flower in Japanese) **he called her, and she soon despised that nickname. If anyone called her that, she would smash his balls into oblivion, but not with him, for he was so… she just couldn't – he was to powerful, and she was weak, she wasn't half as strong as when she _joined_ Vegeta's army.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and he stepped in. Only it wasn't him. She could only see the outline of him, but he looked familiar. He had his hands behind his back, and was thrown into the cell by a big, mean-looking guard. With a thud the familiar, and unconscious, looking man hit the wall and slumped to the floor. She saw, with the light emitting from the doorway, who it was, before the guard said,

"Here's another from the ranks of the army of 'Vegeta.'" He said it so sneeringly that Bulma snarled in reply. No one believed her that this so called 'Vegeta' appeared. They just thought she as mad. But she did see who it was.

It was Nappa.

~*~*~*~*~

What Bulma reckoned to be a couple hours later, the sleeping form of Nappa awoke. He quickly fried the ropes that bound his hands and feet with his ki. He sat up, evidentially thinking he was alone in the cell. He swore something like 'getting caught…baka fool…"

Before he continued to stand up and feel his way around the room. Unfortunately, the first thing he did was hit Bulma. 

Bulma cursed and cradled her injured leg – Nappa's foot was as hard as steel. Nappa quieted and stiffened.

"Who's there?" He called out

"Bulma – hi Nappa." Bulma felt from the vibrations in the air – without being able see, taste, hear, smell, or feel she learned how to detect anything in that way – that Nappa had sat down next to her, apparently in shock. 

"So, your alive?"

"Yep…"

"I've been looking for you."

"You have?"

"Yep…"

"Why have they been keeping you here?" Bulma went silent. She dealt with the pain, she could keep it to herself, but it still hurt. Especially to someone else, and to a guy who caused her to loose the only man she ever loved.

"They…have…did…"

"What?" Bulma noticed Nappa wasn't his usual, out-of-touch self. He was understanding, almost caring. She wondered what had happened over the past few weeks, or had it been months? She had no idea. She decided to ask. 

"What happened – why are you here now, why were you looking for me? And, how long have I been in here?"

"Well, I want to know what happened to you, so we're square. Tell me, I'll tell you, unless you're too weak to talk." He smirked in the darkness. This was the Nappa she knew.  She realized this was good, to tell someone what was happening. She was blocking the pain, but on the inside she was screaming, slowly crumbling. That was why when she slept she curled into a ball in a corner and cried. That's why she didn't resist when she was beaten. That was why she had given hope of getting out. That was why she hoped for death every day. She was crumbling, and she needed help. Maybe this was her answer. 

"F-Fine, b-but what I say, swear to never repeat it. Please…?" The tone in her voice shocked Nappa. He knew she was weak on the outside – she was a Faradian, anyway – but on the inside he knew, from the few times they had met, that she was proud, and had the heart of a lion. She seemed scared now, and there was no hint of that once-proud girl that had trained in the ranks of his army.

"Yes, I promise."

"G-Good. Form the b-beginning, I overheard your c-conversation, and I r-ran, all the way to the cliffs, by the s-sea. I jumped, b-but before I could fall, s-someone caught me. It turned out to be one of the g-guards. T-They knocked me out and b-brought me here. When I w-woke up, they beat me until I was practically d-dead – unconscious at l-least. And then Kinas, the lord, he ra…" She took up a deep breath, and tears began to roll down her face. "He raped me. I d-don't remember it, because I was still unconscious, but I k-know he did, because that was I ran away in the first place." So she told her tale, of how she was beaten, raped, and abused in everyway conceivable, and how she was only given a crust of bread and a bowl of water after every-other thrashing.  As the words rolled off her tongue, she slowly stopped stuttering, and it felt as if she had had fifty tons lifted off her shoulders She felt better, just being able to talk to someone besides herself. All the while tears streamed down her face and Nappa sat silently beside her. He had gotten use to the dark, and because of his sensitive Saiyain sight, could see a faint outline of her. He sat staring at her, the whole time silent as possible, his breath could not even be heard. 

Holy Shit. Holy Fucking Shit, he thought. Vegeta was right, she has been through more Hell than any one has probably ever been through. Damn, this is the strongest woman I met, I was so wrong. Rape, Molestation, Whipping - what next?

Then, once her story was done, she turned to him.

"So, your turn."


	9. Someone To Listen To

**A/N – this chap isn't as long *sigh* is short and sweet – you could say. Stupid school. I wish I could just type all day, but that wouldn't be good. First, I play the piano, and that makes my wrists and fingers hurt. Second, I type - a lot. It might not seem like it, but I type up all my homework and stuff.  Third, I'm the setter in volleyball. For all you non-players out there, that position is basically meant to receive a hit (bump), through it up using your hands (wrists) towards another player who jumps over the net and hits it into the ground (spike).  Putting all these things together, my hands, fingers, and wrists hurt like hell. I even have specially 'hand exercises' I have to do. Not fun. But enough of my whining, on with the fic! Please Review!   **

He sighed heavily, thinking of the past event s of those two weeks he spent on his journey through the city. His first thoughts drifted towards the ending of the tale, but he began form the beginning, from the moment he stepped outside of the Lair. Finally, he arrived at the part where he entered, the city, after he had saw the city, killed the students, and taken the girl hostage.

"She led me to an entrance to the city, a place where it was supposedly unguarded. We entered from there, and arrived in a small square. That was when we first hit into trouble. Jateal's guards, who were suspicious of my alien uniform, stopped us. The girls showed some kind of identification, I learned her name was Chic. She told them that I was a cousin visiting form the other side of the Great Forest. Later on she said it was some kind of traveling pass-"

"-All of the people in Jateal have to carry one, because of the wars going on, we don't want any people that we don't want into the city." Bulma interrupted.      

"Thanks, continuing… They took her and my pictures, and they said that we had to stay put so they could get a look up. Whatever. Anyway, after they left, we split. She seemed really nervous, and that got me worried, but soon after we were long gone from the square she calmed down. Well, we went into a shop and bought new clothes for her and me, and also she bought dye and dyed her hair brown. I began to have doubts on whether she was dependable or not. We hade many encounters after then, until we got to the actual building that we're in right now. To put it simply, we're in a giant tower, and that's about it. You and I are in the top room – maximum security. Well, by this time, we had had so many 'encounters' that the guards were growing suspicious – no, they were on to us. They had no idea what we were doing, but they knew enough that they weren't going to mess with us – they were playing big now – that's why I'm here, instead of another pic of me hanging on some wall."

"I was right on my feelings off the girl. Evidentially she was a runaway." He chuckled, "Just like you. She was a maiden or something or other. Her real name was Chichi. She told me, before they hauled her off, that she was inspired by some other runaway and wanted to get away from it all. I guess she meant you. When I told her I was looking for you, she agreed because you were that girl was her role model. She always stuck up for herself – she was braver and prettier than even me, but no one could see it. I actually spent time with her, and I know for a fact she is great."

"But, going on, we had camped on the edge of this little area right outside of the tower – and outside of the guards path. Well, while she was on watch, we were ambushed. There were to many for her – I could have gotten it, but they knocked me out before I was able to wake up completely. We were taken to a room far beneath this. That was when she told me about her 'role mode' and what had happened. The walls were of some metal – even I couldn't break them - and that says a lot." Bulma could tell his usual cocky manner had returned full throttle. "After a couple of hours – hell – it might have been days – a man entered with whip in hand. They restrained me in shackled of the same steel, and then beat Chichi up really badly. Then they took her away. I think they said something about taking her back to a sanctuary or something. AS for me, they left me in the chains, and whipped me, tortured me, stuff like that. I didn't feel it, really. It might have stung, but I've felt worse. I kept repeating that line – you know, the one your supposed to repeat if your caught by an enemy, blah, blah. Anyway, they got surprised, and went into a little huddle. Once they were done, they came back, and hit me on the back of the neck. And then I woke up here."

He could barely see tears streaming down Bulma's face. He noticed them when he mentioned the bit about Chichi. Maybe he shouldn't have? O well – past is past. He sighed again, letting her know that he was officially done with his story. 

She tried to pull herself together, a thousand things flying through her head at a million miles an hour. Chichi admired her? Chichi tried to escape her blessed life as a maiden? Nappa, a firm believer in non-weaklings, came to her rescue?  She sobbed quietly, all this to over-whelming for her. Finally, she brought herself to ask a question.

"So… how long have I been in here, exactly?"

Nappa calculated in his mind, in all his utter genius, so it was a while before she got an answer. "Well… I would say about 4 months at least." Bulma stared off into space – unable to think. 4 whole months?!? She wanted to scream, once again, but as always, her voice failed her. It felt like it had been only a day, since she had tried to jump and was brought to her prison cell. She thought – if she was getting these beatings twice a day… she had had over 240… this time she did scream. It was a hoarse scream, but a scream nonetheless – and a loud one at that. This scream put all her other shouts to shame. It made Nappa – a very brave man – want to crawl into a corner and hide. Her voice slowly dwindled until it was nothing more than a whisper. Nappa could hear the pain in that final uttering, before the flame, which was her voice, was put out. 

She sank back, trying to say something to explain her outburst. But when she did, all that came out of her lips was a hissing noise. She threw her hands to her throat, where she wanted to strangle herself, as she tried to utter the smallest of the simplest of words. She couldn't do it. Nappa sensed her struggle, and brought his hand over to prevent her to hurt herself in her frantic acts. She stopped after feeling his touch. She sighed, and faced him. She couldn't talk. She had lost her voice in her final burst of emotion-filled cries. Tears flooded down her face as she calmed herself.  Before she could even think of anything else besides the loss of her speech, the door opened. 

Her scream evidently pierced even through the soundproof wall, Bulma thought with pride. *I won't be able to do that again. Oh well.* 

Kina was standing there, looking like he was going to beat the hell out of her. And he did just that.  He had with some of those 'unbreakable metal' shackles for Nappa, and then went to Bulma. Sitting there with eyes as wide as saucers, she held still until had put her into the same type of shackles. Taking a whip in hand, he lashed out ferociously, making sure he cut deeper into her skin each time. 

Maybe it was the loss of her voice, but this time it brought all the pain home. If she could she would have screamed much louder than she did all those other times. He pressed her against a wall, making her stand – or more like holding her up, as her knees where giving way – while he brought the whippings up, and down, up, and down, bringing blood and cutting into muscle. *O gawd. I'm going to die. I'm going to die a voice-less, love-less slut. O gawd.* then, without another thought, she passed out.

Lord Kinas felt her slump in his arms, but he didn't stop. He never did stop, really. He turned her around and continued, oblivious to the rising growls that came from Nappa. Until he felt the flow of blood and ripping of sinew on her front side did he cease. Then he untied her and set her down, placing a kiss on her forehead.  He stepped to the door, opened it, and with a click on a remote control he undid Nappa's bindings, but closed the door to soon for Nappa to attack.  Nappa never saw him again. 

Moving to Bulma's side, he felt her wounds, because he couldn't very well see them. They were deep, and if she didn't get help soon she would die. Even if she did get help, it wouldn't help. She would be beaten again, and maybe when he wasn't around to help her. She had to get out of here. But Nappa was here now, and he had to help her now, and now he was not acting to get back to his army, but for the woman who sat slumped next to him. Tearing his uniform, he made a bandage that would hopefully stop the bleeding. Then, with nothing more that he could do, he decided to plan an escape. 


	10. Plan, Setup, Action!

**A/N – Sorry it has taken so long for me to post, but I'm on spring break, so I'm not at my computer very much, seeing as I'm with my dad (I only see him 3 times a year). I get back home in California in exactly a week, but I think I will post at least chapter 11 by then, but it will be slow, so don't expect anything. Here it is – Please review!**

Bulma opened her mouth to say something to Nappa, he had told her about his plan to escape, but she still had a few questions.  But, realizing that she still couldn't talk, she sighed. Nappa sensed her frustration – she had not been able to talk for a while now. If this plan worked, though, she should be able to regain her voice, if she is given the proper treatment when we get back to Vegeta's, he thought. But really, n0ow that she had lost her voice, he didn't know what to do. He could talk to her, and she could listen - but she couldn't respond - and he knew he needed her mind to help him figure this one out.   

She thought deeply. There must be _some_ way they can communicate. But she didn't know how. So she, motioning with her hands (that he could just see in the light-less cell) that he would have to continue without her being able to talk. So, he did just that.

They decided to commence their plan the next time Bulma was called upon to have her beating. Nappa nodded silently as he took his position. He retraced the steps of their plan in his mind, well, it was his plan, and she did whatever she could to help with input. He knew it probably wouldn't work, or it would go wrong, because –even he knew- that he lacked even the capability of adding 2 + 2 without getting 4. *Its-going-to-work-its-going-to-work* he said over and over in his mind, because he needed to calm his nerves. If this went wrong, it would result in both of their deaths, most likely.     

Once again, he tried to think of the plan. It went something like this…

When the door opened, and before they could press the button on Nappa's chains, Nappa was going to knock whoever was lucky enough to be opening the door at that point in time, out.  Nappa would be standing right next to the door so he could hit them over the head. He would instantly grab the man, who would have the keys to all the chambers, plus the 'button' that would not only prevent him from getting tied up, but would have the key to get them off.  Shutting the door, no one else would be able to get in, and they could make their escape whenever they wanted too. They would probably do it right then – take them by surprise. Nappa would have to carry Bulma, because she was still a little weak, but that would be fine. He could still shoot ki blasts at the on coming soldiers with one hand. Making their escape, he could just fly on over to the Great Forest, or just hit it on the ground in turbo-speed if they had gyrocopters on the lookout, but he didn't think they would have enough time to get ready. 

Little did they know that on the floor below them, Chichi was ready to be taken back to the maiden quarters. She had had her punishment fulfilled, and was ready to go back, along with an escort of 50 guards. On the floor below them, 50 guards - not good - but how were they to know? 

This, though, turned out to be somewhat of an advantage. Many of the other guards, who were not in her escort, wanted to see her off, so abandoned their posts. Because of this, the only man that was outside of their 'room' was the guard who was opening the door, and was going to be knocked out in just a few moments.

Nappa heard the lock rattle and prepared himself. Now that he was calm, he knew he could do this, it was very simple and actually, he thought, required a lot less action than he had thought. 

The noise form the lock became nosier. 

The door opened ever so slightly, so that only light could be seen. 

It opened more, the top of a head appeared.

Finally, a whole head appeared.

Goodbye.

Nappa did not issue a sound as he brought back his hands and bought them crashing down on the back of the mans skull. He landed on the floor in a heap, not moving, and with the light that emitted form the door, Bulma noticed he wasn't breathing either. He was dead.  

Normally, Bulma would have screamed at the site of the dead body that had fallen before her. But she was beyond that. She had seen and been through so much, that when it came to Lord Kinas and his followers, she was more ruthless than even the Saiyains of old – more pitiless than the great legend Vegeta – prince of the Saiyains, who under Freiza's command was feared by all. Instead, she wanted to cry out with joy as she saw this man, who would have brought her even more pain, was now lying on the floor before her, as his heart stopped and the blood slowly drained to the bottom of his body, turning his bottom half blue and the top half pale white – deathly white. (A/N – She is not like this always, she just hates them, with anyone else who wasn't a member of Kinas's group, she would have cried. You get it, right?)

Nappa looked out in surprise as he saw that no one was in the corridor. In between the times that the door was open, he noticed that they had over five guards, not including the one that would come to administer their penalties. All for the better, he thought, so he ran over and found the keys and the remote control. On it were two buttons, the one that locked him up, or released him. Unfortunately, he pressed the wrong one. the magnets in his chains at his wrists and ankles slowly were drawn together, and he fell on his knees. To Bulma, it was a comical scene – this big, tough warrior on his knees – but she knew the situation. So gathering up her strength, she scooted over to the spot were he kneeled. She wished she had a camera, but continued in pressing the opposite button and releasing him from his captured state. Gratefully he let them fall off, and where the were he could see where they had efficiently rubbed the skin off of his wrists, and no the blood ran freely down his hands and arms. 

Taking the keys with him, he picked up Bulma and threw her over his shoulder, and ran down the hallway until he came to a flight of stairs that led to the next level, which led to another flight of stairs, and a next story, and so on, and so on.  Unfortunately, as he turned the corner, one story down, he ran smack into a group of 10 soldiers, who were leading the procession. Quickly lifting a hand, he blasted them to bits. Bulma, who was able to look over his shoulder, smirked as she heard them scream. But Nappa, who kept going, soon ran into the left over group, who now numbered in 40. Nappa made his way through easily, making a pathway by blasting a couple people here and there, and effectively scaring the rest away – or at least a good distance away. But as he passed them, they were able to come up to his unprotected back. Bulma noticed this, but before she could do anything, they had grabbed her and ripped her out of his arms. He whirled around only to see Bulma in the middle of a group of men that looked like they were protecting her, unlike the real truth – stealing her.

Bulma realized the predicament – she knew that Nappa wouldn't leave without her – he had promised himself that long ago. So she took in a big breath, and leapt up, trying to get close enough for him to hear her. She jumped over a few men, and was able to grab his hand. He pulled, but when she grimaced from the pain, he loosened his grip. Before she was pulled back into the mass of guards, she was able to whisper, even though she knew she couldn't. But, unlike all the other times, she managed to get something out – in a final, despairing plea. 

"Tell Vegeta I…I loved him. Go, that's your job, I order you to go…" And with that, she was pulled back. Nappa snapped out of it. That was her wish, and now he had a new message. He would get that message to Vegeta no matter what. Then he realized that he hadn't even told her what Vegeta had said to him when he ordered him to leave. As he turned, the image of Vegeta running down the hallway flashed across his mind. But before the whole scene was reenacted, he ran into Chichi. She had been left unattended, and was in shock as she watched the sight before her. 

"Hi." was what he said, before he swept her up, making her take Bulma's place. The men knew that bulma was probably more valuable to Kinas than the rest, because Kinas did 'fancy' Bulma, so they let them run. A few tried in pursuit, but Nappa was to fast. He finally ran outside the door, and blasted off into the sky, both of them scrunching their eyes because they were so used to the darkness of the towers. Soon, the Great Forest was in site, and Nappa slowed as the safe haven was reached. Touching down on the ground, he led Chichi to the opening that he knew would take them home.

**A/N – So there it is.  Next Ch. will be about what Vegeta was up to during this 4 ½ month period (Nappa was there for around 2 weeks.)! Stay tuned! Please Review!**


	11. The Other Side Of The Story

*Great. Just absolutely, Jim-dandy, great. Shit, what did I get myself into?*  Bulma sighed into her shoulder as her head hanged down form her neck. Not like she could hold it up anyway. She had received the most horrible whipping of her life. It was worse than even when Kinas had…never mind. If the last whipping had 'brought it all home' then this one brought even that one 'all the way home', in triplicate. Her lips were once again flaking and she couldn't talk. She knew that she had probably said her last words when she told Nappa to flee. *I-am-going-to-die-I-am-going-to-die-I-am-going-to-die…*

~*~*~*~*~

Why. Vegeta had probably run that word through his over a billion times already, and just in that day. He had thought about everything that had happened the first two weeks she was gone… but then he had been able to pull himself together and continue on with daily life. He stopped momentarily, trying to regain focus and drive the picture of her perfect face form his mind. Damn, he just couldn't do it. He loved her, bad. He couldn't live without her. Only Goku know that before he had 'met' Bulma that he was on the verge of a breakdown. He was just a plain killing machine, no soul, no conscious.  He remembered the day that he had found out just that.

~*~Flashback~*~

The old woman walked into the clearing where Vegeta was training. He was deep in his meditating, but strenuous act of punching, left, right, left, right. In a blur he had moved over to kick a non-existent enemy, who happened to be standing right where that woman was.  

He hit her right in the face with his foot, and he heard her neck snap back with such a fore he thought it would just roll off. But her head just pooped right back up. He could tell that she was dying, he had probably snapped one of the blood vessels or something – she had just had a stroke. Vegeta just grinned. He hit her that hard, huh? She was old anyway, so it wasn't much of an accomplishment. Oh well, its not like he hadn't done it before – he was ruthless, and proud of it at that.

The old lady crumpled to the floor as Vegeta started to walk away. Her eyes widened as she gasped out a few last words.

"Y-You're walking away?"

'Why shouldn't I? He scoffed at the woman, her ki was fading by the second.

'You're a monster. Cold, heartless. You'll never get what you want, you don't deserve it. And once you find something actually good, I hope you lose it. And I hope you feel pain. Lastly, burn in hell." And then she died. 

~*~End Flashback~*~

She was right. He was cruel and heartless, and now she got her wish. He wanted to run out and scream at all the world. Blow this planet to bits and then kill himself. But, he had to stay cool. He was the supreme leader. And that was the cause that kept him going. But he was back on the verge of another nervous breakdown. Face it, he couldn't live without her. He couldn't live before her, and he couldn't after her. He just couldn't. 

He was overseeing his troops when these thoughts slowly clouded his mind. He needed to be alone. So he went to his Gravity Room. The GR was the one thing that he loved besides her.  She had built it when she had first come, and he spent many times a day just standing there, when he didn't have enough time to train. He also never pushed it to the max, in fear of breaking the thing – it couldn't be replaced.

He walked to the precious room and turned it up to 400 X Farad pressure. He smirked, remembering his 'history' lesson. When he was little, he was told that Farad's pressure was the same as Earths, the planet where the great Vegeta and Goku came to live. That means that he was training at the same level that the old Vegeta trained in when he was struggling to become a Super Saiyain. Hell, maybe even he would become a SS. He would do just that, just to prove himself, and prove it to them all, especially his new inner-voice – his inner 'Nappa', you could say.

Punch, Kick, Jab, Dodge, Punch, Kick, Jab, Dodge. Going on like this for a while, he finally landed back on the ground, panting hard as his feet touched down on the ground. He tried to clear his head of the images that threatened to take over his thoughts. He was tired, and wanted to go to bed, but he knew what awaited him there, and he didn't' want to think of it, but it was better than thinking of other things.

Every night since she had been gone, and that he had managed to get to sleep, which wasn't a lot, he had had nightmares. Not the nightmares that little kids have about trains under there beds or monsters coming to eat them, but really, frightening dreams that are so close to real life that they can shatter your soul if you believe them. He tried not to believe them, but slowly they actually were destroying his spirit. 

It went something like this; he was in the clearing where he had tracked her, to the very edge of the cliff. He would see her form, opening its arms in an invitation of death, and then leap over the edge to perils unseen. He would cry out and rush to her aid, hopefully to stop her from her plummet, but when he reached the edge, she was gone. Then, before he could do anything, he was in a dark void, in which no light was coming in. it could be endless, it could be not, he couldn't tell – it was a black hole, that let thing in but didn't let them out. 

He would just be standing there, when he would here the sound of metal and leather. There would be a crack and then a moan, a scream. He tried to find the source of the sound, but it was all around, and he couldn't find it in the darkness. Then he could here the sound of sobs, more screams – the sound of pain and suffering. He knew who's voice it was, it was hers, the Onna's. 

Then there would be a light, and he would in the city itself. He was in a building where all these women where, but all he was doing was looking for her. He finally opened a door, and there she would be – dressed in the rags he first saw her in. She would see him, and run to him, but as she got to him, she ran right through him, and disappeared. Then he would be engulfed in blackness again.

Only this time when he returned to the black hole, he would find that there was a light on, and what he would see completely threw him. She would be leaned up against an invisible wall, and all he could see was her head, for her body would be covered by another body, a moving body, a naked body. She would groan, but if it was from pleasure or pain he never knew, because he would flash back, once again, to the room where he had seen her before. She was sitting once again, and ran to him, only to disappear.

Blackness, and back in the screaming world, where he could hear her screams and almost visualize the actual torture she was given. Louder the screams grew, and louder, until he thought his ear drums would burst, and then she called out,

"VEGETA!!!!!"

~*~*~*~*~

The king sat up in bed. The sheets around him where drenched in his sweat, and he was panting heavily, more so than when he had just completed his 4-hour training. It had been how long since she had gone, what – 4 ½ months? Why couldn't he get over her? Yeah, he had loved her, but she was dead, so… why? That word again, just his luck. Put what was it about that dream that scared him so bad? He thought about it, and what was actually going on that he could possibly be dreaming of.

From what he figured out already, he thought that he had seen her first part of her jump, then was imagining what she had told him that had happened before he met her – the beatings, the rape, the slavery, it all seemed to fit. In all his thoughts he did not realize that someone was knocking on his door, very, very hard. Coming to a pause in his thoughts, he noticed it. He managed to pull himself up and get into a pair of pants, then walked over to the door. He turned the knob so that he heard a 'click' as it unlocked, but was surprised by the force that pushed the door open, before he could even open it. What was behind that door, was very surprising.

Nappa was there, panting slightly, while beside him was Chichi, and Goku was in the background. Nappa took a deep breath, not know what to say next. Vegeta seemed angry at his presence, and showed his displeasure.

'I thought I told you to lea-"

"You did, but I came back. She…She's alive, and I know where she is."

Vegeta's mouth dropped considerably lower and he turned to go sit down, but his knee's gave way, and he fainted onto the floor.

A/N – oooh! He knows she's out there, somewhere. No, Vegeta doesn't faint, but consider the situation, here! Please Review!!! 

**(p.s. – this '*' this means that they are thinking ^.^)**


	12. The Rescue Party

**A/N – Sorry this took me so long, but I had a little problem. It's a long story, and I know you all want to get to the long-awaited 12th chapter, so I will refrain form my story for now. Here it is, please review!**

**p.s. my friend. Mistress of the Mist, just put up her first B/V. Its really good, and she wants a little help review-wise. So check it out, tis really good, and please review, for she deserves it! Thank ye very much.**

**p.p.s. I said they had no guns – I lied. It's exactly like it is in the reg. DBZ, except people bath in rivers, but, Saiyains do NOT have these things. They might have a little bit – like gravity rooms and stuff, but – you get the picture. Now, on with the show! **

Vegeta's mind raced as he phased in and out, kicking and punching left and right. Behind him lay a wake of destruction – he had put a new meaning to the phrase 'Sherman's March to Sea" {1}. His forces were easily making their way across the hills, now covered in the blood of their enemies.  What had led them to this battle full of bloodshed? There was nothing wrong of course, Vegeta felt his instincts kick in – the scent of fighting was driving him insane – he wanted it. Vegeta kept his swinging limbs in a concrete motion, his whole body focused on the battle, but still his mind wandered.

~*~*~*~*~

He still remembered the day Nappa had told him he… he still couldn't think of it. He told him of the beatings, the darkness, the horridness of it all. He was outraged. He was beyond outraged. He wanted to kill them all, and he put that to good use. Reflecting, his troops were stronger than ever before, their life was at its peak. Wouldn't it be a great time to strike, and take it all back? For everyone else, it was a crusade, but for Vegeta, Nappa, and Chichi, it was revenge. 

He called to his people, and they met him with a hardy cheer. They trained harder, and prepared for the wars. He and the others, who knew, taught everyone to fly. Vegeta knew it would hardly be a problem for any of his warriors, whether they knew how to fly or not. He and many others could destroy the planet – this wasn't a problem at all. Yet, he had to take caution – in the back of his mind, it was telling him to take caution, but he didn't know why.

The woman, Chi as she liked to be called, turned out to be an excellent cook, and had made a great impression upon the ever-hungry Saiyains, even though after many generations their appetite has worn down compared to the warriors of old. One person who was particularly interested was Goku, his best friend/arch rival. The two blossomed and had bonded soon. 

But looking at the two made him sick, they acted just like he did so many months ago…

~*~*~*~*~

Now he reached the authority figure, or so it seemed, sitting high-and-mighty on his high horse (literally) – watching his army shattered before his very eyes. He probably shit in his pants a couple times over. Vegeta wordlessly drifted up so he was eye to eye with the man. With a flick of his wrist, he hit the man upside the head – which could be compared to the force of ten sledgehammers - and easily snapped his neck. 

With a smirk, Vegeta turned his back upon the body and looked at the fields behind him. After Jateal had been warned of their approach, they had sent over 30,000 men to the battlefield, just to scare off Vegeta's 8,000. But, little good that did – the battle took only 5 minutes – the outcome in Vegeta's favor. Bodies littered the ground, and the hills ran red with their blood. Most were sick and wounded, but the stench of bodies, quickly decomposing in the almost-tropical weather {1}, overrode it all. 

Those still able-bodied were picking their way through the fields, trying to locate those still alive. Then, they began trickling there way back to the city. During this time, their invaders had already gone ahead – and had now reached the city limits.

Upon the walls were guards, firing away their machine guns, but it was useless. They hit a Saiyain, and bounced off as if it were a pebble. Then, over the wall appeared a head, topped with a crown and all. 

"My name is Lord Kinas, what business do you have with me and my kingdom?" Vegeta snorted and cleared his upper lip at the comment. Now that he had actually _seen_ the guy, he felt _really_ bad for Bulma. With a wave of his hand, the King (Vegeta) parted the crowd of Saiyains and stepped forward. Next to him were Chichi and Nappa, who sneered even more than Vegeta, which is quite rare. 

Kinas's eyebrows rose visibly, taking in the site before him.  "So, you must be the 'King Vegeta' the made man and Hana were talking about. You seem a little small from way up here!" 

Vegeta's lips rose about an inch higher and his growl was heard by all. *Flower my ass!* And with that, he signaled to his troops, and they slowly rose off of the ground, Chichi being held in Goku's arms. When Vegeta was eye level with Kinas, he grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and lifted him off of the ground. 

"Do I look so small now!?!" He lifted him over the parapet so he was dangling only from Vegeta's grasp. Now Vegeta had made yet another authoritive figure shit in his pants.

"How… What the fuck!?!" Was all he could say. 

"Take. Me. To. The. Woman." Vegeta hissed each word slowly, but very, _very_ deliberately. 

Kinas got the picture. He led them through the city, up the tower, and to the very door to the room, which held her. Kinas fumbled with the keys, and as he grabbed the right one, put his hand to the lock. His hands shook that he couldn't keep it steady, so he kept hitting the area around the lock. Finally, he grabbed the shaking hand with his other one and forced it into the bolt. 

And the door swung open. 


	13. We meet again, and make some new 'friend...

**A/N – I know I haven't been updating at like ALL, but I told you, I have been cut down on internet time – and its taken a turn for the worst. I only get online once a week, and only on my laptop 2 times a week, for like, 15 minutes. So until I get more time, I might end up posting only every two weeks. (I'll try and post one chapter of this and one chapter of Career Day on the same weekend.)**

**M.T. - *nods sadly***

**S.E. - *wails* What a world, what a world! *melts into a puddle***

**M.T. - *wide-eyed* Didn't see that coming *scoops left-overs into bucket***

**            Umm… on with the show!**

Vegeta tensed as the steel doors swung inward. She was there. The woman he never thought he'd see again, the woman he loved, the woman as a whole… His lips parted, as he tried to speak, but he was robbed of his speech. How could he possibly do this? It was a new feeling to him, totally foreign, and he had no idea how to handle it. All his life he had been alone, cold and emotionless. Alone. There were always those one to two week flings, but never anything that was more than sex. He had never… made love. Then she came along. He thought it to be a fling, and he expressed it with Nappa. Then she was gone, and he knew it was more, but she was gone. He had finally felt love, but he was alone. Alone. Alone. Alone. The words echoed through his mind, tearing at his heart, burning his soul, and numbing his mind. 

Goku saw his lips part, and saw the intensity that flashed across his face. His face was drawn in all his concentration. Goku sighed; he had seen it all before. Being the Saiyain King's best friend, he had seen a lot and knew a lot about Vegeta. He remembered a particular case when Vegeta had had a concussion, and completely lost it. IT was the only time he had ever seen – and probably _the_ only time – he spilled his guts, everything he had thought, ever – it was not pretty.

So, Goku knew that his friend wanted to be alone, and gave him just that. Coughing to get the others (Nappa, Chichi, and another close guard named Raditz) attention, he motioned for them to wait a flight down, give their prince some privacy. As Goku, who was the last to go, walked out, he gave Vegeta an understanding wink, and Vegeta decided to remind himself to promote Goku.

But no one noticed that Kinas had gone, slipping down the stairs to find his 'weapon'.

~*~*~*~*~

The arrogant Saiyain prince took a deep breath and stepped into the doorway. One step, he was under the door. Two steps, he was in the cell. Three steps, he held out his hand, holding a ki ball in his hand to illuminate the chamber. Four steps, he wanted to puke.

Bulma was completely limp, suspended in the air only by the shackles around her wrists, causing her to lean forward and her head to roll on her chest. Her hair, now waist-long, covered most of her body, but it was a mess itself. Blood and slime, from the wall, mixed in her hair, causing it to have a brown tint and to be tangled in one giant knot. Her hips were barely visible, but he could see the gashes that ran along her legs, which were splayed beneath her. 

Some of the gashes were deep, others were not, but all of them had blood. No longer was her once creamy-white skin visible. It was blood, crusted and dried, her skin curling at every wound. The mud was heavily caked on her legs, for she was sitting in it, and other things that he didn't want to think about. The smell of her was putrid, and he had to hold his nose, even when he had seen (and smelled) a lot. 

He lifted her face, and even in her sleep, she moaned in pain at his touch. Much more carefully, he flipped her hair back so it was behind her shoulders. She was still wearing a training gi, but it was more like a stretched out rag now, and she was completely visible. He checked her over for any life threatening wounds, luckily there were not, but she would have scars form these for the rest of her life. 

Though there was nothing life threatening, it seemed they were. Wounds cut deep, and in some places along her arms he could see the ripped flesh, all the way down to the blood-coated sinew, and sometimes even down to the bone. He winced when he saw that, but that only happened once. 

He tried to pick her up gently, but it was hard to stand when she moaned at every touch, but she didn't resist him, like she had every time someone had touched her. She felt warm in these arms – warmth that she had needed for so long. She tried to get closer to the much longed-for heat, despite the pain, and almost cried when she felt it go away. 

~*~*~*~*~

Vegeta felt the incredible ki coming from behind him, gingerly set the girl down. He whipped around, only in time to find himself standing face-to-face with a creature unlike he had ever seen before. Its ki was enormous, much larger than any of the Saiyains, but he at least_ thought_ he had a chance. 'It' didn't wear and clothes, and was all white. Its thick tail swung in an almost hypnotic motion. His face was smooth and looked like a dolls, with two lines running down his face from his eyes his mouth

The creature cocked his head to the side, before he hurled a giant ki blast at Vegeta so fast, he barely even saw it.  Vegeta rammed through the wall, making a huge hole so he was dangling half-in half-out of the tower.

*Oh Shit*

**A/N – I will be updating Career Day in a couple of days. Please Review!**


	14. Well... what now?

Vegeta had had his problems before. But nothing like this. This... thing, this… monster, was a lot stronger that him. His instincts were going crazy, his mind filled with the ki signature that it was producing. Only the pain-filled moan of _his_ woman snapped him back into reality. The white beast threw its head back and laughed. The high-pitched, almost feminine voice seemed to taunt Vegeta's very being. 

Pulling himself back into the chamber, he slowly took deep breaths, bringing the wind back into his body. "Who… What are you?" This only caused more laughter to emit form the being. It sounded as gruesome as nails on a chalkboard. 

"Why… none other the infamous Artica!" (A/N – Okay, okay, corny, I know. But really, what else is there!) Vegeta took the information stone-faced. The name… he knew where Artica came from immediately. He had heard of them, in legends, but never knew they existed. The infamous heirs of Frieza, that had escaped the Saiyans wrath. Long ago, in the day of the Super Saiyans, this would have been an easy task to defeat him. But no more. Long gone were the days when the descendants of Goku and Vegeta had enough Saiyan blood in them to reach the status of the Super Saiyan. By the time they met the colony, and moved to Farad, all was in vain. It just couldn't be accomplished anymore. Vegeta had trained all his life to reach this, but not yet. How was he expected to now?

Once again, the woman jolted him out of his thoughts. Artica ceased his laughing and inspected the girl, in seeming amusement. "You know, it's been along time – my family has been in hiding from you Saiyans. A long time where we able to train. We were much stronger, yes, but the time was not right. So we waited. And waited. Revenge was going to be perfect. We would avenge our fore fathers death. Freiza, Kold, Cooler, all of them. Looks like I found your weakness, Vegeta. And hers… too." He took a pause for dramatic effect, then cackled to himself. 

Before Vegeta could even move, he had his arm in front of Bulma and was charging up an attack. He cocked his head to the side, in an almost innocent manner. "Revenge is sweet, my dear Veggie." 

Vegeta shook with indignation. He was going to destroy the woman, before he even got to apologize… second NO on EVER called him VEGGIE! Right before the blast was shot, Vegeta rammed himself into Artica, causing him to swing his arm, and blasting a hole through Vegeta's chest, and charring half of his body. 

Artica was pissed. Beyond pissed. He let out a frustrated, but very loud, growl. Then all of a sudden, his scowl turned into a smirk as he thought of a devious scheme.  Talking to the barely conscious Saiyan prince, he said flatly, "Well, then, I guess I just get to have even more fun, then, don't I?"

With that, he picked up the two unconscious forms, and throwing them over his shoulder, prepared to blast off. 

~*~*~*~*~

Kinas, standing outside of the door, heard the growl, and immediately went in to investigate. When he came in, he saw an unconscious Bulma and Vegeta, thrown over Artica's shoulder.

"Hey! Just what do you think you are doing! Bulma is mine! Take the shrimp, but leave her for me!" He stood tall and proud, but one look from Artica and cowardice once again became his ruling trait. With nothing but a grunt, he simply grabbed Kinas under one arm, and then took off into the sky.

~*~*~*~*~

Goku, Chichi, and Nappa were also drawn to the scene by the growl and the appearance of the large ki, though only came in time to see the fading streak of aura left by Artica. Chichi, upon realizing the predicament, silently turned to sob into Goku's shoulder, while Nappa and Goku could only shake their heads and wonder.

It was a long time before anyone spoke, but it was Goku who did. "Well… what now?"


End file.
